September 1, 1971 - Santana III

A year after "Abraxas" Santana released their third album "Santana" on September 1, 1971. As their debut album was also called "Santana", this one is often referred to as "Santana III" to differentiate the two. This album has the same original Woodstock line-up, with the addition of 17-year old guitarist Neal Schon. There are 2 covers and 7 original songs on this album. Now a 7-piece, can Santana continue to improve on last year's success? Let's find out!

Side one begins with the instrumental "Batuka" which opens with some cool congas and other percussion. Bass and guitar join in and then a second guitar and organ are added to the mix as they slowly build a great sound. Carlos goes off for a solo overtop of everything else, and once Michael Shrieve joins in on drums we finally have the full 7 members jamming together. Carlos really steps it up with some excellent guitar and Gregg Rolie throws in a nice organ solo at the end. The next track "No One To Depend On" opens with a slow bass riff by David Brown and some cool keyboards. It's a slow rock jam and Rolie's singing is great as always. Carlos briefly goes off in the first chorus, and in the second verse we hear English and Spanish lyrics mixed. There's a cool guitar part where the organ echoes the riff and some solid congas in the background. Carlos has another guitar solo and there isblota of great percussion backing him. He really goes insane, it's some fantastic stuff! A big drum roll brings it back to the slow beat and they jam out one last verse. Track 3 is called "Taboo" and it starts with some epic percussion flourishes; lots of cymbals and different drums. The first verse has some great Rolie singing as well as cool congas and guitar. They move to an extended instrumental bit with some cool bass and guitar and the third verse has some more great conga playing. Once again, Santana plays an amazing, long guitar solo and he is really on point so far this album. The last track on the side is "Toussaint L'Overture" which starts with a guitar solo! The whole band is in full force right from the get go and they make a nice transition into a new riff led by some great organ by Rolie. He plays an extended solo that is absolutely fantastic, with guitar joining in at the end for a great finish to this section. Rolie starts a new organ riff and there's some more great percussion and Spanish vocals. I have no idea which one of Michael Carabello and "Chepito" Areas are playing what, but there are some crazy congas! Carlos' guitar takes it away for a new part and there's some more great organ. Santana and Schon each take turns soloing in yet another awesome part and words do not do justice to the complete awesomeness that is this nearly six-minute song.

Side two begins with "Everybody's Everything" which opens with a catchy organ riff. There's a guest horns section on this song, and they sound great! Rolie's voice sounds great in this jazzy rock song and as usual there is some great congas and percussion throughout. Rolie plays a rather quiet organ solo, but Carlos shows us how it's done in another awesome guitar solo. The next song "Guajira" is sung by guest singer Rico Reyes, who sings some slow Spanish lyrics throughout the song. It's a slow jam that starts with a cool bass riff by Brown and some cool piano as well. Reyes sings a couple slow verses and then we hear another guest musician, a piano solo by Mario Ochoa. He plays an extended jazzy solo that sounds pretty cool and we hear some trumpet as well from yet another guest. I love the trumpet bit and then it's Carlos' turn to take it away. After one more slow verse we get a solid guitar solo to close out the song. Track 7 is a cover of a song by jazz tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons titled "Jungle Strut". It's hard to imagine this song being a jazz tune as Santana definitively make it their style. It opens with some trippy guitar and cool congas, and they continue into the main riff that also has a cool backing organ riff. Rolie eventually takes lead for another organ solo, and man he is just such a phenomenal player. Santana and Schon both join in on guitar as they and Rolie take turns getting some good licks in. The next song is led by a cool acoustic riff and is called "Everything's Coming Our Way". It has some solid singing by Rolie in the verses, and a nice guitar bit between them. Rolie plays another organ solo as both he and Carlos are playing lots of excellent stuff on this album. They slow it down briefly, before singing one last verse to end it. The final song is another Tito Puente cover (he also wrote "Oye Como Va") titled "Para Los Rumberos". Luis Gasca plays trumpet on this song and again I think it sounds great! The lyrics are not surprisingly in Spanish and both Carabello and Areas play some really fast percussion and congas. They are both insanely talented and together make some truly excellent music. An awesome, fun way to end it.

That is the end of "Santana III" and I thought it was a fantastic record. Everybody seemed to really step up their game on this album, and the addition of Schon on guitar seems like a great move as well. But how does it compare to their first two albums? I think it is easily better than the first "Santana", and as I said, I think this album is even a step up from "Abraxas" making this their best album yet! Santana just keep getting better and better and who knows what heights this group could achieve if they continued to improve on this.